Miami -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The 9-year-old girl critically injured when an airplane struck her on a Florida beach last weekend has died , the Sarasota County Sheriff 's Office said Tuesday .

The girl , Oceana Irizarry , and her father , Ommy Irizarry , 36 , of Georgia were struck Sunday afternoon by a plane making an emergency landing , the Federal Aviation Administration said . The father died at the scene , and the girl was rushed to a hospital .

Venice Municipal Airport officials reported a plane in distress Sunday afternoon , sheriff 's spokeswoman Wendy Rose said .

The pilot of a 1972 Piper Cherokee radioed that he would be unable to make it back to the airport and that he was instead going to attempt a landing on Caspersen Beach , just to the south .

The pilot , Karl Kokomoor , and his passenger , David Theen , were uninjured . They are from Englewood , Florida .

Kokomoor -- the president and CEO of local engineering firm -- is `` emotionally distraught and devastated , '' his pastor , Victor Willis , said Tuesday .

`` Words can not express the sorrow I feel , '' said a statement that was read by Willis .

` Never saw them '

Kokomoor said that he was losing altitude fast and had little time to make a decision . He said he aimed for an area on the water 's edge that appeared to be remote .

`` I never saw them , '' he said . `` It was only after I landed and we exited the plane that I realized that there were people on the beach . ''

The investigation into the crash is being conducted by the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board .

The death investigation -- which is being conducted by the sheriff 's office -- will determine if Kokomoor will face any charges , said Rose .

`` I send my heartfelt apologies to the Irizarry family for my role in this tragic accident , '' the statement read . `` I will fully cooperate with the FAA and NTSB in their investigations . ''

Family was celebrating wedding anniversary

On the same day he died , Ommy Irizarry posted a love message on Facebook to his wife , as they were celebrating their ninth wedding anniversary .

`` Thank you for being with me through thick and thin . I love you with all my heart , mi Roma . I am very happy and ca n't wait to see what the next 100 have in store for us , '' Irizarry wrote .

According to his Facebook page , Irizarry was originally from Mayaguez , Puerto Rico . He was an Army sergeant first class stationed at Fort Stewart , Georgia .

He was a platoon sergeant assigned to Fort Stewart 's Warrior Transition Battalion , the Army said . He twice deployed to Iraq since joining the Army in 2002 .

`` This is a heart-wrenching situation , especially losing loved ones while on vacation to celebrate a family milestone , '' said Maj. Gen. Mike Murray , commander of the 3rd Infantry Division and Stewart-Hunter . `` Our thoughts and prayers are with the Irizarry family . ''

CNN 's Kevin Conlon and Javier De Diego contributed to this report

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NEW : Pilot says he never saw victims on the beach

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A 9-year-old girl and her father were struck by a plane walking along a Florida beach

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The small plane was making an emergency landing when it hit them

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The girl 's father died at the scene , she died at the hospital